Ail-box



E. DUBBS.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23. 1911.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

j'wuenfop m8 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPP! co.. WASHINGTON, I). c.

UNITED- srr .EDWARDDIIBBS, OF'MAYELOWER, x...

runaway .AND .a is. warm, meme LMAIL-BOX,

"Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ept. 2, rare.

mi 'ilicatioafilcdt'une"23, 1917. Serial No. 176,526.

To all to 7mm it may concern:

'Bedtiknownzthatl, EDWARD DUBBS, a citizen of the United States,residing'at .Mayflower, in th-econnty of Faulkner, State of Arkansas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Mail-i'Boxes; andI do hereby declare the following tobea full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such-as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in mail boxes, and particularlyto the type of mail boxes used in rural districts.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel means forautomatically elevating a signal device when mail has been deposited inthe box.

Another object is to provide a signal device which will automaticallyreturn to normal position when the mail has'been removed from the box.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mail box equipped with my improvedsignal device.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the box showing the signal in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 ofFig. 3.

Referring particularly to the accompany-- ing drawing 10 represents amail box which includes the side walls 11 and the end walls, as well asthe bottom 12, and 13, respectively. The upper portion of the box isclosed by a hinged cover 14, and the means 15 for securing the same inclosed position.

The side walls are divided longitudinally on the lines 16, while the endwalls are divided on the horizontal lines 17. The portions of one of theside walls are hinged together at 18, while the portions of the otherside wall and the end walls are arranged to be secured together by meansof the detachable bolt means 19. This provides ready access to theinterior of the box for adjustment and repairs, of the mechanism whichwill be later described. The lower portion of the front sidewall is alsohinged at its lower edgeto the bottom, so that it is capable of beingswung down whendesired, the hinges being shown at20.

One end of the box isprovided with a do l 21 which permitsaccess to thebox for .purposes ;of inserting or removingmail matter.

In the lower portion 11 of the side 11 of the box, rthere is formed avertically extending elongated slot 22. Secured to the outer face ofthis portion of the wall is a substantially U-shaped plate 23, theintermediate portion of which is formed with a vertical slot 24 which isdisposed in registry with the slot 22. The said intermediate portion ofthe plate is formed with a pair of parallel apertured ears 25 betweenwhich, and pivotally connected thereto, is a flag staff 26. One end ofthis staff extends through the slots and is formed with a metal signalflag 27. The portion of the staff which projects within the box isformed with a laterally directed and horizontally disposed pair of wings28, and disposed between the upper wing and the lower face of theplatform 34 is a coil spring 30, while a similar coil spring 31 isdisposed between the lower wing and the bottom of the box. These springsare so arranged and constructed that they balance the staff and hold thesame in a nor mally horizontal position.

A platform 34 is disposed in the box, a short distance above the bottomthereof. The end of the platform remote from the in nor end of the flagstaff is loosely mounted .on a transversely extending shaft 35, the

ends of which are j ournaled in the brackets 36 on the side walls of thebox. Secured to the lower face of the free end of the platform 34 is adepending stem 37 which extends through the springs 30 and 31 andthrough openings 28 in the wings 28 of the flagstafl 26. A dependingrigid stem 37 is also carried by this portion of the platform 34 andnormally rests on the inner end of the flagstaff 26. as shown in Fig. 3of the drawing. It will be noted that the lower end of the stem 37terminates a slight distance above the bottom of the box whereby theplatform is permitted to swing downwardly under the weight of the mailmatter deposited thereon. The tension of the lower spring is such thatit will not compress under the normal weight of the platform, but willcompress when any added weight, such as mail matter is placed on saidplatform. In this case the platform will move downwardly so that thestem 37 will depress the inner end of the flag staff and cause theraising of the outer end. Thus when mail matter is on the platform theflag will be in elevated position which will indicate that mail is inthe box.

What is claimed is:

A mail box including a receptacle, a platform pivotally mounted at oneend in the receptacle, a signal member pivotally mounted on. thereceptacle below the free end of the platform and extending through thead jacent side wall of the receptacle, said signal member havingsuperimposed and laterally extending wings on the end within thereceptacle, said wings having vertically alined openings, a verticalstem carried by the bottom of the platform and extending downwardlythrough the openings of the wings, coil springs encircling the stem anddisposed respectively between the wings and the platform and between thewings and the bottom of the receptacle, and a depending stem carried bythe platform for engagement with a rocking movement of the signalmember.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

EDWARD DUBBS. Witnesses W. O. DURHAM, J. F. THOMAS.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0.

